"Mounseer Nongtongpaw, or the Discoveries of John Bull in a Trip to Paris is a lavishly illustrated children's book in verse which was first published in 1808 by William Godwin's Juvenile Library firm. Based upon a popular late eighteenth-century comic song of the same name by the actor and songwriter Charles Dibdin, the story follows the character John Bull, a symbolic representation of the common Englishman (think "John Q. Public"), on his well-meaning but dunderheaded exploits on a trip to France. Bull never bothered to learn French, and his queries in English to various French characters all elicit the same response: "Monsieur, je n'entend pas," ("Sir, I don't understand you"). Bull's own humorous misunderstanding is his belief that all of France is talking about a man named "Nongtongpaw."
via
No comments:
Post a Comment